Diplo Announces the Death of his Mom Just Months After his Sister’s Tragic Passing

The past few months have been difficult for Diplo as The Iconic DJ announces the death of his beloved mother.

Esteemed DJ and producer Diplo announces the death of his mother Barbara Jean Pentz, describing the feeling as a “cosmic gut punch” of grief. This past Thursday, the GRAMMY winner took to social media to express his love and admiration for his mother in a tribute post describing his love her for in all its glory.

In two separate Instagram posts, Diplo describes how a mother is somebody who can always be counted on. He explains that “in a way, it’s sad to think but u know mother is always there .. even as a man – you would never call on your mom for things but you know somewhere deep inside that she would protect you ..she give you your first feeling of security because she gave u a life.”

In the other Instagram caption, he recalls his Uncle stating that a Mom and a Sister are “the only two women you can truly trust in this life.” Support from collaborators and friends alike flood his comments showcasing sympathy for the artist. Renowned music industry mainstays like Mark Ronson, DJ Snake, Tiësto, Ellie Goulding, and many others took part in sending their condolences to Diplo.

While it is apparent that he is struggling with these losses that caused a “ten minute cry in the bathroom at CDG airport”, he is still able to joke around in the comments of his posts. He adds a teasing remark saying, “Note: I still have another sister but she isn’t capable of dying she likes to annoy me too much.”

This year has been quite a tough one for Diplo aside from the loss of his family members. Back in May, he took to Instagram to express his concern about how “lonely” touring can be ahead of his summer series. With two more months of shows planned, the DJ hasn’t made any remarks on whether the passing of his mother will affect these upcoming events.

He explains that Barbara “was always a devout supporter of my music”, even back in the MySpace days when she would help promote his music as user DJmom1. The DJ released his latest album last month, and luckily, his mom was able to support him one last time. Our hearts go out to Diplo and his family for these incredibly difficult losses.

Joey Bouzek

Hey there my name is Joey and I am an entertainment journalist based in Virginia. I went to James Madison University for Journalism and Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communications. Some of my favorite musicians are Grimes, Arca, Kero Kero Bonito, Slayyyter, and Sky Ferreira. My goal as a writer is to help inform the reader to understand news that is up-to-date and precise, that way the reader can stay properly informed and entertained with the information that is presented. Writing stories is something I have always been passionate about and would love to spread information about events, festivals, new music, and artists in an engaging and thrilling way.

See author's posts